Integrated circuits are commonly mounted in chip carriers which are bodies of insulating material having side surfaces to which conductors from the integrated circuit extend. Traditionally, terminal pads are provided on the side surfaces of the chip carrier body and contact is made with these pads to connect the integrated circuit or a circuit board. Electrical connection is usually established with the terminal pads on the chip carrier by means of a chip carrier socket which comprises a socket body having a recess which receives the chip carrier and contact terminals in surrounding relationship to the recess so that when the chip carrier is placed in the recess, the contact terminals electrically engage the terminal pads of the chip carrier.
Notwithstanding the relatively small size of the chip carrier socket and the contact terminals in the socket, it is necessary that each terminal be capable of exerting a significant contact force on a terminal pad in a chip carrier in order to establish good electrical connection between the contact terminal and the terminal pad on the chip carrier, particularly if the terminal pad is tin plated rather than gold plated. It should also be noted that chip carrier sockets are subject to the dimensional variations which all mass produced parts are subjected to. These dimensional variations result from manufacturing tolerances. However, even with dimensional variations, the design and performance requirements discussed above must be satisfied even in "worst case" conditions. For example, the minimum required contact force for each contact must be met even if the particular terminal pad that a contact terminal engages is at the lower end of the tolerance and the contact terminal similarly is at the lower end of the tolerance range for the parts.
For the new emerging family of modified gull wing chip carriers, a new socket was required, as the prior art connectors were insufficient for this type of lead configuration. This type of new socket is shown in copending U.S. application Ser. No. 191,635, filed on May 6, 1988 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,845. It is worth hoting that this new socket provides a contact force which is sufficient to insure that a proper electrical connection is effected and maintained.
The cover and socket illustrated in the above-referenced application is configured to receive a chip carrier therein. The chip carrier must have projections extending from the corners thereof in order insure that the chip carrier is properly positioned in the chip carrier socket. The requirement of projections provided on the corners of the chip carrier is not always advantageous. In certain situations, bumperless ceramic quad flat pack must be used. Consequently, as the bumperless flat pack chip carrier must also be tested, it would prove beneficial to have an adapter which allowed the bumperless chip carrier socket to be inserted into the chip carrier socket referred to above, thereby allowing the leads of the bumperless chip carrier to make a positive electrical engagement with the terminals of the chip carrier socket.